Hope
by JCthewriter
Summary: "Maybe he needed to be wanted." Another story I adore! Please read! Rated T for safety.


**Hi! So, here's another short story for y'all! Thanks lovelies for all the awesome, and positive comments on my other short story, ****_Irreplaceable_****. If you haven't read it yet,****_ I suggest -highly- you go do that before reading this one. It's sorta a sequel to it... _**

**Some of you probably wonder why I keep using Luigi as the main protagonist? Well, I'll straight out say that he's the most fun to mess with and he's an awesome character. To sum that up; he's the easiest to make a ****_memorable past._**** (hint, hint) **

**I need to make this clear; Jock is the bully I use in all of my Mario fan fics. I can never come up with a better name. He's part of the reason why Luigi is this fragile.**

**(Don't ask why they are in High School, and those of you who have watched, ****_Degrassi_**** in the episode, ****_dead and gone _****there is a prom... well, this story kinda relates)**

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Luigi walked through the door of the house, arms with groceries. He wondered if his brother, Mario, would even be home? He was starving but he forced himself not to worry about it. He heard a noise down the hall, and out of the darkness came Mario.

"Hey, bro! Did you find everything?" he says unloading the bags, Luigi gave him a nod as he put away the egg carton. "I am starting to wonder why you don't speak as much as you used to, Luigi?"

"You know, same old reason." Luigi says sitting down on the counter.

"And you know _not _to sit up there, get down." Mario points out, as Luigi got down with a sigh. "The prom is tonight, and you do realize Mom will make you go whether you like it or not, right?"

"Can't I change the fact that I _have _to go?" Luigi mutters.

Luigi made a New Year's Resolution that he would try to be braver, stronger, cry less about the dumbest things. This is was brought on because everyone was telling him to 'man up' or 'be more like your brother' etc., This week has been good with this idea so far. He doesn't know if Mario noticed, and to be honest, Luigi didn't care whether he did or not. He stood in the corner of the school's gym with a few of his friends; talking. He hated dressing up, so, he simply threw on a nice leather jacket with a shirt that said, _this is my tux_. What? It's funny. Mario actually bothered to listen to Mom and dress up, and Mom doesn't know that Luigi didn't listen.

"Hey Luigi, I've been looking over at Marregret (how _she_ spells it) and Nick every now and then. I'm starting to wonder if Nick is going to give her _a run for her money._" Daisy jokes, Daisy wasn't dateless, instead she went with her group of friends. All in which include; Princess Peach, Marregret, Sam, and Hero. Here at Findley Nation High, no one really cares how you dress for formals. Not even the teachers. Luigi was having a great time, he was surprised. Luigi didn't care if he didn't have a date, he was perfectly fine laughing with his own friends. A couple of his friends had dates, and even now and then would go dance with them.

"Hey, bro!" Mario says, walking up to him, Princess Peach beside him. Luigi turned to him,

"Oh, hey."

"You seem to be enjoying yourself." Princess Peach says, with a bright smile.

"Eh, I guess." Luigi half-heartedly laughs, Mario just smiled polietly, in the mean time Luigi noticed Daisy was tense; really tense. "You okay?" he looked at her, her eyes wide with fear.

"Jock..." she said under her breath, her voice shaky. Jock Goldman was supposedly in Juvinal Detention for two months. _But it's only been two weeks... _What could he possibly want? How did he get out early?

"I'll deal with him." Luigi said sternly, starting to walk towards him. Daisy had her hands on Luigi's chest,

"No! He'll just hurt you again!" she cried, "I will," but Luigi didn't let that happen.

"Daisy! He's probably here for me anyways. As usual."

"Bro, I have to go with Daisy on this one. The last time you guys fought, it left a scar on your eye." Mario says boldly, yet sternly. Luigi didn't care what happened, he just wanted Jock to get out of here.

"I don't care what happens..." Luigi muttered, walking towards Jock anyways, while his brother and friends watched; wide-eyed.

Jock looked at him, "Well, well, well, look who actually showed up here."

"By that you mean, you?" Luigi hissed, it was only Jock; no gang, no one just himself. Luigi hadn't noticed that the whole gym was _looking_ at _them._

"No, I was actually referring to you."

"Well, that was one stupid joke, Jock. You know, your comebacks are really old. Try again." Daisy appeared behind Luigi,

"Luigi, be careful." she whispered in his ear,

"I know that." he said, taking off his jacket, he handed it to Daisy, as she gripped it.

"Trying to make a fool of yourself, ol' buddy?" Jock says snidely, with that stupid evil grin on his face.

"Nope, you already did that." Luigi retorted, _I'm thinking to myself, that I've done something wrong, that I have crossed the line. Have you found out this time?_

"Shut up, butt head! Before I snap that neck of yours."

"Oh, so, that's how you wanna play the game? Huh? Go ahead." Jock lunged for him, but Luigi jumped back startled, he didn't think Jock would actually do it.

"I told you to be careful!" Daisy yelled, Mario stood there; disappointment filled his eyes. He finally shook his head, and took the Princess with him. Luigi threw a punch a Jock before he lunged for him again. He hit him right in the face, Jock stumbled backwards, and quickly regained himself. Luigi threw another punch at him, exept even harder than the last. Jock landed on the floor, and was there for a good two seconds. Within those two seconds, he pulled a gun from his back pocket. The room filled with screams of sheer terror as everyone ducked under the tables and on the ground. He shot the gun twice and ran off. It was a few seconds before everyone looked up again and got up.

"Princess are you okay?" Mario yelled, as she got up next to him,

"Yes, thank you." she smiled sadly, at out the corner of Mario's eye, he noticed people gathering on the floor. A faint yell said, "Luigi!" Mario knew something was wrong.

"Guys!" some dude named Derek, yelled, calling for Mario and everyone to come over. They dashed over to the floor, and found Luigi on the ground. Strange though, he wasn't crying, or complaining. He just layed there, he wasn't unconscious, he was awake. All Luigi could think was, _Please don't turn your back on_ me...Then more lyrics came to his mind, as his vision faded; _I'm drinking by myself, I know I'm going down. Will you pick me up, or will you leave me on the ground? _He saw blurry pictures of his brother above him, worry in his eyes. He saw Daisy, tears flooded down her cheeks. He tried to reach up, but only succeeding to have his arm drop back down next to him. He felt his right arm go numb, he noticed a bullet hole in his shoulder, two bullets went through. Not all the way, but it was a clean shoot. He forced himself up, to sit in an upward position. Everyone was startled, and watched him get up, and walk away. His right arm, dangling freely at his side. He turned back to the people he loved, then he looked down at the gun, he said quietly, even though the room itself was already quiet;

"I have to end this." Blood trickled down his arm, Luigi could care less about his arm, Mario sped up and ran to catch up with him,

"Bro! You're crazy! You need to get that arm taken care of!" He heard fear in his voice, Luigi wished he could listen to his older brother. But instead he said,

"I have to end this, Mario! I can't risk anyone else getting hurt!" Luigi felt nothing but pain; sheer pain flood through him; after shock. He still held in his tears, he tried so hard to be brave. Mario could see that, he really could. He was _proud _of him, so proud. Luigi stared at the gun in his hands, and went outside; dragging his useless arm with him.

About two minutes later he came back in, every single person watched him with worry, and a curtain of tears from half of the girls. He stood in the doorway, looking at everyone; he friends in front along with his brother. The gun slid from his hands slowly, as he collasped to the ground. Mario was already at his side, along with the rest of his friends and most of the high schoolers. Luigi blinked, and got back up,

"I don't know what you guys are wasting your time for, mourning over my arm. You all have a life, I'm sure, so go live it. It's a freaking wound! I've gotten shot millions of times, but for what? The gun owners' satisfaction? I just don't care! I can live without an arm, I really can." Luigi yelled, walking away again, **( A/N: now in most cases, the person would be already dead or his/her arm would be replace with a bandage and would be hospitalized. But let's keep in mind this is fiction, with fictional people). **

"Bro! Where are you going!? You need to get the hospital!" Mario shouted, as Daisy tried to catch up with Luigi.

"Luigi! Please!" she begged, her eyes pleaded, she still had his jacket clenched in her arm. Blood seeped through the shoulder of his shirt.

"Home. I'm going home." He said tiredly, with a sigh. It was his way of saying, 'don't worry about me'. And with that he walked out of the gym one last time, with Mario at his side.

...

Mario was never going to let his little brother drive with an injury, they both got out of the car. Luigi's arm still covered in blood. His eyes tired and bloodshot, he walked into the bathroom and grabbed a pair of twezers, and started to take the bits of the bullet out of his shoulder. Luigi still tried to be brave and his arm hurt so, so bad. He bit his shirt to stifle a scream, tears threatening to come down his face any moment. Mario stood in the doorway, his eyes still worried but not as bad as before.

"Need help?" was all he said, coming in and sitting down on the edge of the tub. Luigi shook his head as he consantrated on getting the bullet pieces out. In the second his brother started talking, Luigi realized he hasn't eaten all day. Yet, he didn't care, but he stomach won and started operating on his arm faster. He became frustrated, and sat back down on the toliet. Mario got up and started helping his brother with his wound. He carefully took out every piece, and watched his brother at the same time.

It was quiet for those two hours, while Mario plucked out the bullet pieces. Luigi nearly fell asleep then he woke when Mario said,

"You know, I'm proud of you right?"

"What?" Luigi looked up as Mario wrapped a bandage around his shoulder.

"It's true, the way you stood up to Jock. I admit I was impressed." he said, walking out of the bathroom, Luigi followed Mario into Luigi's bedroom. Mario sat in his papasan (big fluffy chair), Luigi went into his own bathroom and washed his face. He came back out to find him self only in his room. He didn't notice Mario his papasan. Luigi sat down on the bed, Mario sat next to him as he came from the papasan.

"It was just luck." Luigi said, answering his brother's statement which he said eariler.

"But do you know _why _I'm proud of you?" Mario asks,

"Because I didn't cry about my shoulder or what happened eariler today?" he said,

"Yes, and no. Luigi, I'm proud because I can see you're trying to over come your fears." Mario took his notoriously famous red cap off of his head and placed in his lap.

"Oh." Luigi's face somehow felt like it crumpled, Mario set his hand on Luigi's non-wounded shoulder,

"Look, I know you've been through a lot in your whole life itself, but you still kept going. You're still here, bro, don't let anyone change that. I also realized that you're trying to be braver that you should, bro. I'm glad that you are trying to over come your fears by facing them but something being strong isn't your only option," Mario ruffled his little brother's hair, like he always did when they were kids. Luigi never liked it,

"Hey, don't touch the hair. Anyways, what do you mean 'only option'?" Luigi says,

"Meaning that it's okay to be afraid and run away sometimes. Not every person can be strong every single moment of the day, bro. Not even me." The last part caught Luigi off guard,

"But you are strong every day." Luigi said,

"Remember what I told you how I hide emotions? Keep that in mind next time."

"I don't understand." Luigi says,

"Never mind that, I know Jock and his gang are a big part of this issue that's reoccuring in your daily life. May be you need to figure out _why _this started in the first place? What I do see you trying to do Luigi is you're trying to change yourself too much. I'm not saying you _are _a wuss but you _can _be, but that's how you are, bro. So, don't try to change you are, instead become who _you want to become, __not _what others think you are." This is the most Luigi's ever heard his brother talk. Seriously, not a joke. Luigi said this instead of keeping it quiet,

"But it's almost like there's this defect or should I say, voice, in the back of my head that keeps saying, 'You'll never reach it.' or 'You will never make it.' And stuff like that." Luigi started to lose faith in himself a long time ago. "Then it makes me think, _'I hate myself, I hate you.'_" Luigi couldn't take it anymore, he started to cry,

"Bro, is that what you think every day?" Mario asks, sympathy creeping into his voice, "Bro. _You_ are one of the strongest people I've ever known. You've been through so much and you kept going." Luigi hated talking about his feelings over all. This made him cry even more, the only thing that he had was a beaten up, old blankie from when he was six. He still had it, he had it in his grip, drawn to his face, Luigi let the tears soak into the blanket. Mario gave a sad smile when he saw it. It was the only thing that Luigi talked to when he had no one and anything. _I can see it. He needs someone around, _Mario thought silently, _he's so alone. _Mario crawled next to his brother, _this is one of my favorite parts, actually. Comforting my little brother._"Luigi, is that what you think every day?" Mario asks again, Luigi cried more but he knew he had to give an answer, so, he simply nodded. "Bro, I don't want you to think that everyday. Ever."

"Then what do you want me to think of?" Luigi's voice was rusty and worn out,

"Hope."

"Hope?"

"Yes, hope. It's the only thing_ stronger_ than fear."

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**Woah! That's WAY longer than a short story! Oops. O.o It's a good thing I copy and paste it into a word doc for back ups... ::**

**Please review!**

**The lyrics are from, 'Running Away' by Three Days Grace. Link to song will be on my profile! :D**

**All lyrics and songs mentioned in stories belong to rightful owners (the awesomeness known as Three Days Grace :) **


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